Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Kids 4 Clean Water program returns to San MateoIt will be the fifth consecutive year that the “Kids 4 Clean Water” program has made its way to the San Mateo community in Ambergris Caye. From Monday, August 15th to Friday, August 19th, the week-long adventure will aim to teach children residing in San Mateo about water safety, environmental conservation, and health issues. Hosting the program is Belize Community Conservation (BBC) in partnership with Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN).
In San Mateo, the alarming issue of contaminated water has been a concern for many years. During the program, sanitation and hygiene has been the main focus, and is taught to the children and their families. They also learn about coral reefs, mangroves, and wildlife, as well as the importance of protecting these areas and animals.

Police ReportFound Drugs:
On Wednesday, July 20th at noon, acting on Special Branch (SB) information, a joint team of SB and Criminal Investigation Branch personnel retrieved from San Pedro Town Tropic Air Cargo a small brown cartoon box containing a yellow plastic bag with two wrapped transparent parcel containing suspected Cannabis.
$13,000 stolen from Mennonite:
On Friday, July 15th at about 3:10PM, 46-year-old Heinrich Knelsen, Belizean Mennonite salesman of Shipyard Camp, Orange Walk District, visited the San Pedro Police Station to report that he was robbed. Knelsen stated that at about 1:10PM on the same date, while riding his bicycle out of the San Mateo Area heading to the bridge after collecting moneys owed by a local company for the sales of chicken, eggs, beans, and rice, he was intercepted by an assailant.

Wolfe’s Woofer: The Recruiter“Hola, Don Dennis,” Rafael said. “How are you this morning?”
“It’s a beautiful day, Rafa,” I said. “When I met you last night you weren’t wearing a uniform. I didn’t know you are a soldier.”
“Ah, even us military kinds got to have days off. This week I am off work the whole week.”
Since I retired from playing music, Sherry and I have been doing some traveling. We were in Merida, Mexico when we met Rafa in a bar.
“What do you do in the military?” I asked.
“I am a recruiter,” Rafael answered. “I am the best recruiter in the whole Mexican army. That’s why they give me a whole week’s vacation.”
“What makes you so good?” I asked.

With community support, fire victims prevail While some lost their homes, others lost their jobs at the businesses that were affected. One of the fire victims, Hermela Rodriguez, was formally working at a business that was affected by the fire. After weeks of unemployment, Rodriguez has been hired at the TikiTurtle Trading Company Gift Shop at Ramon’s Village Resort. El Dorado Store was also affected, but they have reopened their business on Black Coral Street across from the new Artisan’s location. Baltazar Vanegas, who owned Cortez Upholstery, was offered an apartment rent-free by a kind landlord, and has re-opened his upholstery shop on Black Coral Street across El Patio Restaurant. Romel Bardales had been operating a fruit and vegetable shop in the immediate area where the fire took place. He has now re-opened his shop named “Guayabano” downstairs of Martha’s Hotel on Ambergris Street. The San Pedro Lions Club is still continuing their relief efforts. On Wednesday, July 21st, they distributed 20 school bags (donated by Miss San Pedro High School Faith Noel) filled with school supplies, and donated them to the fire victims with school-aged children. Since their month-long food program ended on the 21st, they issued out Lino’s Meat Shop Gift Certificates, and oats. Social Services advises that if any family is still in need of food to come to the San Pedro Food Bank on Tuesday’s at the Lions Den.

Doctor Love: ShockedDear Doctor Love,
For the last year of our six-year marriage I have noticed my wife has gotten distant from me. I tried to talk to her about it but she got in a bad mood and told me that I would not understand anyway. I asked if she was seeing someone else and she got so angry that I thought she would hit me. She told me she was not seeing anyone but she should be. She said if she did see someone it would not be someone who went fishing nearly every weekend without her. It would also be someone who would start a family before she is old enough to be a grandmother. And by the way they would take her out to dinner sometimes and maybe watch a movie with her.
I work a fifty hour week to support us and because I don’t want her working. My fishing on the weekend is the most relaxing thing I do. It does not seem fair that I should give it up. I have offered to take her with me but she does not like fishing. She knows I don’t sit and watch romance movies like she likes and I prefer her cooking to any restaurant in town. And as far as children goes we are in our late twenties and we can wait a few more years.
I came home yesterday and found a note from her saying she is gone and don’t try to find her. She will send her divorce papers through her lawyer. I know things have not been great between us but I certainly was not expecting this,
Is it too late to save things? What should I do?
/s/ Shocked

Misc Belizean Sources

BTL HELPS SAN PEDRO FIRE VICTIMSOn July 21st, 2016, BTL’s Chairman of the Executive Committee, Mr. Anwar Barrow, presented a handsome check of $10,000 to assist the affected families of the infamous fire that occurred in San Pedro just weeks before. Among the 27 families affected, many of them were children registered for the coming school year. In that light, BTL has collaborated with Belize Red Cross and Angelus Press Limited to facilitate school supplies at the value of $10,000 to all the affected children.
Present at the Handing Over ceremony was the Director General of the Belize Red Cross Mrs. Lily Bowman, Mayor of San Pedro Town, Mr. Danny Guerrero, and representing The Angelus Press Ltd. was Mr. John Gillet.

We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!Comedy Hunger Theater is coming to Cayo! The Wildfire Art studio is teaming up with the Soul Project to bring the play 'We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!' to town for 3 showings next weekend. It'll be Friday and Saturday at 7:15pm, and Sunday at 4:15pm, on the Soul Project stage.

The Reporter

Businessman shot dead at his barA businessman was shot dead at his bar on Friday night.
The incident haopened at mile 21 on the Philip Goldson highway. Police have released preliminary information stating that Nathan Underwood was shot at Nate’s Cool Spot.
In a separate incident, Rosaline Milligan was also shot on the Maskall Road. Her condition and other details are not yet known.

Medical experts predict Zika virus will be around for a few more yearsExperts from the Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College in London say the Zika virus isn’t going to subside for a few years.
The scientists say the epidemic is likely to spread for two to three more years, and in a worst-case scenario, could become endemic in Latin America. They believe the epidemic will end only when the population reaches a stage of “herd immunity,” when there are no longer enough uninfected people for transmission of the virus.
The researchers said in the journal Science that once this stage is reached, there would be a long period with few new cases until the emergence of a new generation who had not been exposed to Zika.
The scientists used data modelling to predict that the next outbreak would take place in around 10 years’ time.

Meteorologist says dust clouds in Sahara preventing storm formationA meteorologist with AccuWeather says dust from the Sahara is the reason why there has been inactivity in the Atlantic since Hurricane Danielle formed on June 20.
Dust from the Sahara are being spun up in huge clouds by an unusually strong high-pressure system in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. This, according to Ed Vallee, is the reason for the current inactivity.
“The water temperatures are plenty warm, but the dry, dusty air is really inhibiting development,” Vallee said, adding that heavy wind shear, another tropical cyclone killer, is also occurring with the Saharan dust.
But the busiest part of the season is still ahead, meteorologist John Gerard says.
“Since we got off to a quick start, many assumed it was going to be an extremely busy season – and it still might be.

Dispute leads to stabbing; two detainedBelize City police have detained two persons in connection with a stabbing on Friday night.
Police say that at around 11:15 p.m., Gilroy Smith, 30, a resident of Freetown Road, suffered a stab wound to the back of the right hand during an argument with another man and a woman.
Police have detained Steve Logan and Janelle Gentle pending investigations.

Police find body with stab wounds in Orange WalkOrange Walk police are investigating the circumstances of a body found this morning.
Preliminary information is that the body had what appeared to be multiple stab wounds.
The victim has not yet been identified and police investigations continue.

Breaking Belize News

William Mason’s wife being sought by policePartner to murder accused William Mason, Melissa Ferguson is being sought by Belmopan police for questioning in the Llewellyn Lucas beheading murder and kidnapping.
She is said to live in Los Lagos outside Ladyville and has a recently renewed work permit and Social Security card from Belize. She was not at the Mason home on Intelco Hill in Belmopan when police searched it earlier this week. Among William “Danny” Mason’s many aliases is William Ferguson.

Traveling from San Pedro to San Ignacio, Belize: So Different, Both So BeautifulFrom the reef to the jungle in Belize – easy peasy. Even taking the slowest, budget method (barring bike riding or walking), I was on the 7:30am San Pedro Belize Express water taxi ($46bzd RT) and I arrived in San Ignacio on the bus ($8bzd) before noon. Not bad.
Not bad at all.
I was headed to FABULOUS Chaa Creek Lodge just outside of San Ignacio to scoop their annual kids’ camp. Chaa Creek is truly one of my favorite spots on earth. It is rustically elegant, total lodge chic, perfect down to the smallest detail. Every Belizean should visit. If just for lunch.
I deboarded in Belize City at about 8:45am and grabbed a taxi (there are about 25 drivers vying for your attention) to the bus station. $7bzd. I’d had coffee at home but my stomach was grumbling. Shockingly and reliably tasty – bus station pizza.

Seasons of FriendshipSometimes I think...most times I don't...but sometimes I do. Lately I've been contemplating the cycles of friendship. I'm guessing the vast majority of people can identify with the situation of leaving your family or friends, or a part of them, for a new adventure in life. We've gone to college, prison, maybe moved for a job, chased a girl across the country...or a dream around the world. You think you can't wait to go home, to see your friends again and get back into that life; however as you've heard; "you can't go home again." It doesn't exist. Your spot with your friends doesn't exist. That life has past, and a new future is the only option. Like all things in this world, friendship is a cycle.
We have so many hours a day, and so many minutes to spend in communication with people. Lives change, circles move, and I've seen the struggle to keep connections with people in circles that at the moment just aren't touching - and the cost is that the loss of connection with the circles they are touching. I'm just grateful to have loving friends that I know would welcome me back into their hearts like years hadn't passed. no matter how the dynamic needs to shift.

International Sources

How I Left A 12-Year Career In Silicon Valley To Work On A Beach In BelizeThree months ago, I worked in San Francisco as a marketing leader for a unicorn startup. I earned a salary that let me do, eat, and buy whatever I wanted. Now, I live and work from a beach in Belize, earn half of what I used to, and couldn't be happier.
After spending 12 years on a career path that just wasn’t the dream I'd imagined it would be when I started out on it, I knew it was time to try something else. I also knew that just making small changes probably wouldn't cut it—and that felt liberating. It opened up possibilities I hadn't considered.
Here in Belize, I’ve traded oatmeal-colored walls in a Silicon Valley office building for a table under a palapa overlooking the Caribbean Sea—with water more cerulean than any paint color could possibly capture. (If I'm waxing a little rhapsodic here, well, I'm betting you would too!) I decided I'd stop snoozing an alarm clock five days a week and instead wake up naturally to sunlight and birds at 6 a.m.

10 days in the USA: 12 Belizeans visit Fond du Lac, serve communityOn July 14, a group of Jaguar Scouts, from Belize’s twin cities Santa Elena and San Ignacio, arrived in Fond du Lac, ready to spend 10 days learning, sharing and helping.
Ten years ago, Julie Boelter, a sixth-grade teacher in Mayville, was in Belize when she met Ces Flowers, the troop leader and adviser to a group of Jaguar Scouts, a co-ed scouting organization. Boelter, who was then a volunteer with Ascension Lutheran Church in Fond du Lac, initiated a partnership and the two organizations began working together.
"It was a connection that God wanted," said Flowers. "We shared the same likes and motivations for molding youths, and that’s what drew us closer together."
“It was a series of God-incidences,” Boelter said, laughing, “Like coincidences, but better.” Though Boelter isn’t a full-time volunteer with the church anymore, she still remains connected to this program.

Videos

Eagle Ray, 2min. This is the complete footage of the eagle ray at painted wall, Belize. I was the last person to go across the reef to get down the wall. As I descended from 35' to 45', I looked up and saw the eagle ray coming over the reef to the edge of the wall. I immediately came back up to the reef, and followed the ray for 2 minutes. I didn't move too quickly, so as not to spook the ray. I was also exhaling slowly so the bubbles would not disturb the ray.